Am I a liberal professional (“Freiberufler”) or a trade/business-style self-employed person (“Gewerbe”)?

In Germany, self-employed people are classified as either liberal professionals (sometimes also translated as ‘freelancers’ or ‘catalogue professions,’ in German: “Freiberufler”) or trade/business-style (“Gewerbe”). Most activities in the cultural and creative sectors belong to the liberal professions. But, for example, if you sell recorded music directly to a customer, start a label or organize your own concerts, you have to register a trade/business-style self-employed activity instead. Sometimes, it’s not so clear which category your activities belong to - but we can help you in an orientation consultation. You can find information sheets in English on this topic on the touring artists website and existenzgruender.de.
Questions? Sign up for a free orientation consultation!